The invention is a method for synthesizing organosilicon compounds that contain a functional group bonded to silicon across the Si--C bond. The method comprises reacting an unsaturated group-functional organic compound or unsaturated group-functional organosilicon compound with a hydro(hydrocarbonoxy)silane compound, where the reaction is carried out in the presence of a platinum catalyst.
The hydrosilylation reaction is a method for the chemical modification of organic compounds by silane compounds. This method employs hydrosilylation between SiH-functional silane and an unsaturated bond-bearing organic compound and is applicable to a broad range of SiH-functional compounds and unsaturated bond-bearing organic compounds. Platinum and rhodium catalysts are generally used to run the hydrosilylation reaction in the industrial or commercial sphere. Since these metals are very expensive, it is crucial that the catalytic efficiency in the hydrosilylation reaction also be very high. In addition, the hydrosilylation reaction is frequently accompanied by competing side reactions and may itself include reaction pathways that produce a number of isomers. As a consequence, the hydrosilylation reaction is generally accompanied by such catalyst-related issues as product yield, product selectivity, and production of a single isomer. Modification of the catalyst can be carried out in order to address these problems and issues. For example, various ligands can be added and/or chemically bonded to the catalyst, or the catalyst can be immobilized on any of various different supports. However, these chemical and physical modifications themselves are typically problematic, for example, their effects may rapidly disappear and an improved catalytic selectivity is generally accompanied by a lower activity. In addition, since platinum catalysts gradually lose their activity under oxygen-free conditions, implementation of the hydrosilylation reaction in the presence of oxygen becomes unavoidable notwithstanding the concomitant induction of side reactions and risk of fire.
The object of the present invention is to introduce a reaction method that provides a high catalyst activity and stability and that also provides a high positional selectivity in the hydrosilylation reaction product. An additional object is to achieve these features without the addition of oxygen and thereby reduce the risk of fire and explosion in the hydrosilylation reaction.